The present invention relates generally to an information processing apparatus and method and a recording medium and, more particularly, to an information processing apparatus and method and a recording medium in which the broadcast data supply side attaches control information to each piece of content of the broadcast data to be stored in a storage-type medium of a receiver which records the broadcast data, thereby setting limits to the length of time the content can be stored or the number of times the stored content can be reproduced or copied.
Recently, digital television broadcasts including BS (Broadcasting Satellite) have been gaining in popularity, broadcasting many programs (content) as compared with ground-based broadcasts. Based on this, it has become a general practice for recording/reproducing apparatuses to receive the digital broadcast data and record the received digital broadcast data to storage-type media represented by a hard disk, for example.
However, the regulations of BS digital television broadcasting do not allow the service providers to set conditions such as allowing the broadcast content stored in storage-type media to be reproduced within a predetermined time period or by a predetermined number of times, for example, even if the broadcast content has been purchased.